A controversial broccoli hack goes viral
A controversial broccoli hack posted on TikTok has been getting a very mixed reaction from foodies everywhere. Turns out, for a very good reason.
User ‘Steph2302’ caused a fuss when she posted a cooking hack online showing how she likes to cook her broccoli.
“For those that️ [love broccoli],” she captioned the post, while also admitting in the clip that “not everyone cooks their broccoli like this”.
The clip, which has now gone viral with more than 400,000 ‘likes’ and over 5400 comments, shows Steph placing a broccoli head upside down in a pot of boiling water.
With the stem sitting above the water, she leaves the veg to boil before taking it out.
She then takes out the broccoli and with one swift cut of the stem, each tiny floret is released, leaving the most perfect little trees to munch on. No awkward cutting necessary.
The post attracted plenty of attention with TikTok users keen to try the easy method.
“I think this is a brill idea, less mess! I’m going to try it next time,” one person wrote.
“You just changed my life,” added another.
But not everyone was on board, with many admitting it was clever, others weren’t keen on the hack because it was removing the best part of the broccoli – the stem.
“The stem is the best bit,” one person said.
“Don’t waste the stem girl,” another echoed.
Aussie nutritionist Lyndi Cohen (known as the Nude Nutritionist on Instagram) is also not keen on the method, claiming it’s not necessarily the stem that lost her, but that there are healthier ways to cook the veg.
“I’m not the biggest fan of this hack. If you’ve boiled broccoli that soft that you can cut it with a fork, you have certainly boiled out a bunch of nutrients – like vitamins E, K, calcium, and polyphenols, too,” she said.
“When you boil broccoli you lose up to 90 per cent of the nutrients, ending up with very nutrient-rich water, which most people throw away.”
What’s the best way to cook broccoli?
Despite many claiming that the stalk is the most nutritious part of the broccoli, Lyndi says this isn’t exactly true.
“While the stalk is not more nutritious than the florets, it does have more fibre. Fibre is really important for your gut health and microbiome, which affects your immune system, mood and more.”
So it’s not the fact that the stem is left out of the TikTok hack, it’s more that the veg is being boiled when there are better methods to cook it to ensure you’re getting all the best parts.
Image: TikTok